The New Jersey Devils traded forward Tyler Toffoli from the Calgary Flames in exchange for Yegor Sharangovich and a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Here’s what you need to know:
- The Flames receive the #80 overall pick from the Devils in Wednesday’s draft.
- Sharangovich was due to become a restricted free agent on July 1 and Toffoli is entering the final season of a four-year deal signed with Montreal that carries a $4.25 million cap hit.
- Toffoli, 31, played 82 games last season, earning a career-high points tally. His total goals (34) and assists (39) led the Flames last season.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
backstory
Flames general manager Craig Conroy confirmed to The Athletic that Toffoli hinted about two weeks ago that he was unlikely to re-sign. During the team’s garbage day interviews, he expressed his desire to return to Calgary and wanted something done relatively quickly. But both the team and Toffoli eventually came together and realized a deal wasn’t going to happen. – McKenzie
Why the Flames made this move
In the first trade of the Craig Conroy era, the Flames are parting ways with their top scorer in exchange for a pick and a roster player. Sharangovich had a 24-goal season in 2021-22 and Calgary are obviously hoping he can return to that form, as opposed to the 13-goal seasons that put him in between.
Sharangovich is an RFA and eligible for arbitration.
“We thought getting younger would suit us well,” Conroy told The Athletic. “For a man who’s scored goals in the league. He’s a good size, good penalty killer and can play all three (zones). He’s versatile, he can play all three positions, which was a bonus for us. And it’s nice to get our own third-round pick back.” – McKenzie
Valuation of trade for Calgary
On the surface, the return will seem disappointing to Flames fans. But whoever wanted to sign Toffoli would risk seeing a winger in his 30s past his prime. There’s also no immediate sign that he’s ready to make a long-term commitment to New Jersey.
So asking about the moon wasn’t a likely task. But the Flames are getting a 25-year-old whose prime is yet to come and their own third-round pickback. The Flames also increased their current cap rank to $5.5 million.
As we wrote about a potential swap return for Calgary, we looked back at the swap that sent him to Calgary from Montreal and which included a first-round pick along with a fringe player and a prospect. The Flames were finally a playoff team that year, so the pick didn’t come until later in the opening round.
If the team ended up receiving a first-round pick from one of those teams, fans might think a little differently.
Conroy told The Athletic that he was looking for a “younger player” who was capable both on offense and as a draft player. The Flames held talks with other teams that would have gotten them a similar, older type of player for Toffoli, but ultimately settled on a trade that landed them Sharangovich.
“It was a perfect fit to win Yegor for us,” said Conroy.
Now that the Flames are entering the draft with six picks and a few other players who could be promoted, we await their next moves.
Where will Noah Hanifin go? Is Mikael Backlund destined for a new home? How are the negotiations with Elias Lindholm going? Conroy could still be the busiest GM of this week’s draft at the end of the week. – McKenzie
What Toffoli’s landing means for the Devils
The Devils are excellent attacking players but could use more finishing talent. Signing a player like Toffoli really helps achieve that goal. New Jersey should be able to put him in a position to be absolutely successful.
He’s had strong playmakers in his best seasons and the Devils have a lot to do with him. It likely means Tomas Tatar will leave as a free agent and while he does have some strengths in two directions it’s undoubtedly an improvement as it gives the team three legitimate goal lines to rely on. – Goldman
What does this deal look like for New Jersey?
The price was more than bearable for Toffoli, who should have been a hotter commodity given his effectiveness and reasonable cap hit that most teams could handle. While Sharangovich has more potential than 2022-23 has shown, his ice age and commitment over the last year has been really limited.
So it made perfect sense that New Jersey bought him. The fact that they were able to move a player they actively bought to boost their offense even further is a clear victory for Devils management. At this point, Sharangovich is playing better elsewhere as he’s likely to get more playing time on a team that’s shallower than the Devils. – Goldman
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(Photo: Sergei Belsky / USA Today Sports)